


Anatomy

by Eryn



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Dom/sub, Flogging, M/M, Whipping, Writing on Skin, switch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-30
Updated: 2012-06-30
Packaged: 2017-11-08 21:50:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/447926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryn/pseuds/Eryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/collections/If_You_Were_verse/works/445019">A Formular for Intimacy</a> John wants payback. Jim isn't going to complain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anatomy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kryptaria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kryptaria/gifts).



> written for and with permission from [Kryptaria](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kryptaria/pseuds/Kryptaria)
> 
> neither beta-read nor brit-picked

As a rule they didn't play outside their flats. Jim didn't like it and John didn't push the issue. But he wanted to do something special tonight. And since Jim didn't call Pascal when John suggested playing in a private room John called a cab.

He didn't take Jim to Irene’s. After all this was private, not work related. Plus John knew enough clubs in London that he also knew where to go for what he wanted. Ever since he'd woken up with maths all over him he'd thought about payback. It would be delicious.

Jim had remained quiet the entire car ride, wondering what was so special that John couldn't just do it at home. Normally he'd not agree to do anything in public. What if he was seen? What if some business partner saw him on his knees? What if he was in a vulnerable position without protection? What, if something unexpected happened?  
Jim pushed the thoughts to the back. If he got uncomfortable he'd call his safeword and it would be over. And until then he should just relax and enjoy. Smiling softly he curled against John's side, pressing his nose against the other's neck to nuzzle soft skin, breathing onto the sensitive skin. John's hand in return came to rest on Jim’s thigh, stroking up and down, drawing small circles and generally making its presence known. When they reached their destination Jim was trembling in his seat. But he didn’t push John away. He just relaxed into it, trusting John to take care of him.

Jim got out of the cab after John paid, looking to the ground nervously when the other took his hand. John lead him into the lobby of a nondescript building and Jim stayed back to let John deal with the formalities. After all this was his turf, so Jim used the time to let his eyes roam across the plain entryway. It was nondescript in a way that spoke of careful preparation. Few places managed such a perfectly bland look, with not a single subtle clue to give away the building’s purpose. It could be anything from an apartment building, an office space to a hotel. Jim thought it was brilliant and committed as much as possible to memory so he could apply it to his own hideouts.

Then John took his hand again and lead him through the door behind the check in counter. It was a kind of visible claim Jim normally thought of as ridiculous. It wasn’t something he allowed. But what he allowed didn’t apply to John, who only cared about the things he definitely refused. So he let John drag him into the club and through the throng of bodies and Jim felt grateful for the firm hold. The place was awefully packed and offered more physical contact than he’d allow on a good day, but John’s presence calmed him enough that he didn’t snap. And before the whole thing could seriously irritate him, destroying the nice accepting mindset completely, they were already out through the next door.  
They stood at the beginning of a corridor with doors at either sides and an elevator at the end, speaking of more stories to come. John seemed to know where they were heading, and Jim felt himself calm further as he followed the other. With John around it was easy to let go, to surrender himself to John’s experience. Jim was grateful for the solitude of the corridor as he leaned a bit into John, sinking into the comfort of shared space. They were silent as they advanced and Jim could feel the anticipation thrumming beneath John’s skin. Then he was dragged through a door and Jim couldn’t help but shiver all over.

The room had a fully mirrored, circular wall, which meant that you could see everything at every angle with every line of sight. Light was provided by a single lamp suspended from the ceiling at the centre of the room. It was brilliantly illuminating the room’s centrepiece.

A cast iron frame bolted to the ground. It was rectangular with a full circle starting at the bottom. It made Jim think of Da Vinci and he wasn’t surprised to see eye bolts attached to the thing at regular intervals. Next to it was a table with an assortment of pens in different colours as well as a whip, a flogger and a switch. Jim made a soft noise at the back of his throat because next to him John was practically vibrating with satisfaction. Everything was set up to his liking and Jim couldn’t wait to see what would happen.

Jim's skin was tingling already and when John told him to strip he didn't hesitate for a second. He was giddy to get on with it, high on anticipation and the idea of what John could do to him with the material provided. Plus whatever John had in the gym-bag he’d carried inside.

 

20 minutes later Jim was naked and securely strapped into the Da Vinci like position he’d expected. His left arm was raised and the right was parallel to the floor. His feet were both firmly planted on the ground, making it clear that he’d be here a while. After all if this would be a short time position at least one leg would have been elevated as well.  
The rope John had used was strong and slim, making sure to maximise the skin John could access. If there was such a thing as invisible ropes, Jim was sure, John would have used them.

As it was the doctor would have to work around the soft ties. First he picked up a red and a blue sharpie, and then he moved to stand in front of Jim. There was a playful smile playing on his face as he caught his lover’s gaze.

"Let's start with the major veins and arteries", he said as he uncapped the red marker.

"Don't twitch or I'll have to start over", he added before pushing the tip against Jim's chest, right over his heart.

“Yes, sir”, Jim bit out before gritting his teeth. He focused his mind firmly on not moving, pushing arousal to the back. Right now staying in place was easy, even if his only points of fixation were his wrists and ankles. But he also knew enough about anatomy to know that there was at lease one line going onto his dick. Plus some onto the inside of his elbow, wrists and palm, the inside of his upper thigh. And the idea of the soft marker tip running along his armpit made him whimper.

“Now, now, Jim. I haven’t even started yet”, John chided playfully, slowly drawing the tip in an arch across Jim’s chest. He was pressing firmly enough to create a clear sensation instead of a ticklish one and Jim was infinitely grateful for this. Because if John started going soft on him he’d have to start over thrice before he got lines onto Jim’s sides.

Jim hung his head and closed his eyes so he could focus on even breathing, all his attention fixed on the firm point of contact travelling down his arm, twining around the inside of his elbow, forking there into a few thin lines before the main one was continued, drawing down and to the wrist, jumping over the ropes there, making Jim gasp when the pressure returned on his palm, digging into a pressure point.

John stepped back a bit to look over the first set of lines appreciatively, but he was also frowning.

“Open your eyes, Jim”, he ordered sternly. “You will keep your eyes open and watch me work. Watch me map you out”, he added, voice laden with arousal.

Jim's eyes snapped oped at the order and he shivered all over when he saw himself in the mirror. His upper chest and his left arm was covered in a delicate web of red lines and already John was applying blue marker to pale skin.

"yes sir", Jim said, voice strained as the marker slid up the sensitive skin of his lower arm, trailing the blue lines visible under it.

John was working slow and methodical, stopping whenever Jim closed his eyes. It didn't take him more than a second to open them again, so John didn't scold him for it. Instead he enjoyed that he could make Jim loose control over himself like that.

After he had both arms marked up John walked around Jim, drawing the bows that wrapped around his lungs, long red and blue lines that spanned chest and back and sides.

Jim held his breath as John worked on his chest. He wasn't willing to risk smudging. After all John might just wipe him down completely to start fresh, and Jim wasn't willing to risk that. He ignored the trembling in his legs and the rising desperation, he pushed the darkness back and only inhaled deeply when he heard John cap his sharpie to switch to the next colour. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough, and Jim could feel his hands beginning to tremble at the lack of oxygen. He was starting to panic, his body no longer obeying his command, shivering and sweating, eyes unblinking and unfocused as he stared ahead, fighting for breath he wasn't permitting. Any second now a line would smudge as the trembling spread to the torso and he couldn't breath and his vision was getting blotchy but he couldn't breath and 

"Jim. JIM!", John carefully smacked the other across the face, making him exhale reflexively. Before his breathing stopped again.

"Jim. Inhale!", he ordered loudly, smacking Jim again to get his attention. The oxygen seemed to focus Jim a bit more and John cursed himself, hands gripping Jim's face to draw his attention.

"exhale. Jim. Inhale again. Exhale.", he ordered, pinching his cheek whenever Jim tried to break from the rhythm.

"even breathes. Inhale. Exhale"

He kept it up even when Jim regained his breathing, limbs calming and colour returning to his face. He picked up the sharpie again and kept breathing with Jim, telling him when to inhale and exhale while he finished the chest markup.

Jim was panicking, shifting in his bonds, fighting the hold on his face as his body rebelled, trying to force oxygen into him faster than John wanted. But John won and Jim calmed, breath levelling out as he regained control. It was embarrassing. He had completely ruined the scene, hyperventilating like this. He was being ridiculous and John was stepping back from him.

Jim was about to panic once more, thinking the scene was over, but he kept breathing because John kept ordering it and the the sharpie was back and everything was okay again. He would keep breathing and John was setting the pace. He was breathing for John, expanding and inflating his chest on his Dom's orders and the lines were straight and clear and everything was fine.

 

After the scare with the hyperventilating the rest of veins and arteries was almost boring. To Jim's relieve there was no line going onto his dick. He was sure he wouldn't have been able to prevent twitching there. Especially if John decided to steady his dick with his hand. It still wasn't easy to not squirm away when the sharpie dug into his sensitive inner thigh, brushing over the pulse point before continuing further down to foot and ankle. Skipping over the ropes was not disrupting any more, since Jim was avidly watching, using the mirrors to track John's progress. 

Once he was done Jim felt himself go slack in his bonds. John was back at the table, putting down the pens and hopefully now he'd be allowed to squirm and trash as John got to work with the flogger. But alas. When John came back into view he was holding onto a thick black marker. 

John couldn't help but smirk at Jim's groan of discomfort.  
"Now Jim. You didn't think I was already done, did you? We still have major muscle groups to go through. And then target zones.", he said, voice almost chiding.

Jim groaned in distress at the idea of even more lines. But he still obeyed the unspoken order to straighten, settling his weight evenly on his legs. His left arm was getting numb, so he flexed his fingers to pump blood into the extremity. John had been careful not to cut off circulation, but the first part had taken long enough for blood to rush from his arm, or at least not making it all the way back again. He didn't want to deter John, didn't want to call attention to himself like that when he'd already stopped the scene once with his immature antics. But John had been firm on this. Always tell when it tingles, so Jim deliberately caught John's eyes.

"sir. Could you please retie me arms? The fingers of my left hand are going numb", he said before dropping his gaze again. He bit his lower lip when John sighed. He was ruining it again. But John still put down the marker and untied Jim's left arm, carefully massaging the circulation back into place.

"It's okay, Jim.", John said warmly. He could all but see the younger beating himself up over this. So he leaned in and kissed him. Carefully he retied the arm, this time putting Jim's left arm at shoulder height before raising the right.

"Now I'd just told you what I planned on. So you better hold still. If I have to redo this we go straight back to the sharpies", he threatened, grinning when Jim made a pathetic whimper. He knew Jim was already having trouble staying still and patient. And the marker had a new level of sensation, with its broad tip and scratchy surface. But it was just delightful to see Jim squirm. And since the circular mirror worked both ways, he could watch Jim's face as the younger watched his hands. It was heady to see Jim trying to control his body, a fight he was rapidly loosing. But with the big marker it wasn't a problem if the lines stuttered a bit. All that mattered now was Jim trying for him, fighting his own body to keep still for John. And John made sure to reward him, leaning in for small kisses when he worked on Jim's front, doing breathing exercises again as he worked on his chest. 

Jim was relaxing again, falling into the mindless calm that always followed in the wake of John. The marker was scratchy and his skin started to itch, but before it would get unbearable John was moving on, kissing Jim, keeping him on edge until all that was left was a coil of sensation ready to snap. It did so when John put down the marker, tension releasing in a load groan an a full body shudder. John was watching him with a smirk and Jim smiled back with a faint grin of his own.

“Now for target zones”, John said with a grin.

“Yes sir. Will that be the last of it?”, Jim asked hopefully, straighting in his bonds once more. His arms were still fine, but he didn’t complain when John had him switch position once more, ending with his left hand elevated again.

“Yes. And then I’ll get to see how red those target zones can get”, John added with a grin. Jim grinned right back and watched in the mirror as John moved to stand behind him.

“Yes, sir”, he said and then watched in fascination as John carefully marked large areas of his back with green, diagonal lines crossing over the muscle groups outlined. Now that the goal was clear Jim felt his skin tingle even more. John was laying the groundwork now, mapping the area he’d be hitting later, giving Jim clear instructions on where the flogger would land.

Of course the areas were the same as always, but still, having them so clearly stated, scratchy tip running diagonally across his ass, made him even more aware of them. He couldn’t wait to feel the flogger descending onto scorched sensitive skin.

John was making quick work now, long lines with little regard for neatness. He was done waiting. He had spend almost an hour methodically making Jim into his very own anatomy chart. He’d watched Jim squirm and gasp and he was more than ready to hear him scream.

Jim as well wanted to just get it over with. He barely managed to hold still, wanting instead to arch into the scratchy surface, have the tip dig into his skin, giving him a firmer sensation than before. But he knew better than to move when he shouldn’t. Because if there was one thing to be said about John, then it was that he was stern and stuck to his rules. So if Jim twitched and ruined a single line he would be wiped down and the whole torture would begin anew, he just knew it. It didn’t stop him from arching and twisting whenever the pen was raised and out of reach. He could see perfectly what John was doing. The mirrors made it easy to keep track of the other, of where he drew and when the pen was lifted. He was completely submerged in it, in focusing on John and waiting for the Dom’s next action.

Finally John was capping the pen and placing it back down. Jim smiled and arched his back in invitation. He was so very done with waiting. He felt tingly and ready and wanted nothing more than to continue, to feel the kiss of whatever implement John wanted to use, wanted to feel his skin turn red as the flogger eased the tingling the marker had left. He was surprised when John came up to him and untied his wrists, massaging the feeling back into them. Were they done already? Was there no pain for him tonight? He was about to ask, but then John was raising his hands again, stretching them past the crossbeam and to the very top of the circle, where they were attached to a single eye bolt. Jim shuddered as he felt his back pulled taunt. He was a little on the short side and now, with the rope connecting his arms to the circle, it was more obvious than ever.

He turned his attention back to John when he heard the sound of leather moving. He watched avidly, biting his lower lip, as John picked up the flogger. It was, Jim realised, one of their own, meaning that John had been here earlier to deliver it. He could feel his breathing speed up as John raised the flogger. He could see it almost like slow motion as John raised the flogger, swung the tails to the back and then brought it forward and down onto his back.  
It was almost like watching it happen to someone else and experiencing it at the same time. He gasped in surprise at the impact, swaying forward in his unbalanced position, grateful for the ropes keeping him in place. The first hit was followed by another, all hitting well within the borders John had outlined, crossing on his back and then his ass, smacking his thighs as John walked around him in a measured place.

Jim was gasping and squirming in his bonds, arching into and shying away from the smacks equally. John wasn’t going soft on him, which was just what Jim wanted. It felt heavenly to just give in, to groan as the flogger turn all the target areas a soft hue of red. Even his thighs were taking to the colour. And not once did the tails hit outside the designated zone. They’d stray to the very edge of it, but never cross it.

John was walking in slow circles around Jim, contend to watch him squirm for now. He knew that Jim could take more, but that was for later. Right now it was heavy smacks with the flogger, broad tails impacting firmly with soft skin, turning it first pink and then red, setting a backdrop that almost swallowed the arterial lines. He was fairly sure he could keep this up for a while, but he wasn’t that much of a tease, so instead he stopped behind Jim, met the younger’s eyes in the mirror and placed the flogger back on the table. Deliberately he picked up the whip, a short, single stranded one that would cut beautifully, leaving behind a neat set of lines wherever it hit.

“Ready, Jim?”, he asked. He stepped back in front of Jim to get a good look at his face, but the other was still there. His gaze was calm and steady and there was still a bit of a smile around his lips.

“Yes, sir”, Jim replied, licking his lips invitingly as John leaned forward to check him over. He wasn’t surprised when John just chuckled and stepped back a bit. Such simple teasing rarely got him what he wanted, but he still smiled at John when the other raised the whip and walked to stand behind him. He knew the target zone was only his ass and thighs now, so John would stay behind him. Eyes half-lidded Jim watched him get in position, brace himself and then bring the whip down. He didn’t tense his muscles, or tried to move away. He just hung in his bonds and groaned when the whip hit.

John was watching avidly as the first red line appeared on Jim’s ass. It would be joined by more of course, but the first was always special, laying the ground for everything else, the one that other lines would be measured against. He worked quickly, making Jim shout and gasp and try to arch away. He was looking beautiful like that, skin red, lips parted and wet, eyes wide, and hands holding tightly onto his bonds. John couldn’t wait to fuck him. But first he had a pattern to create.

Jim’s eyes were wide and focused, darting left and right to find the best angle so he could see John’s face, his pleasure at every moan and scream, before turning his attention back to his own ass, where John was raising an intricate web of lines, diagonals that hit the green area or crossed them, making him shout and his skin turn red. The skin was getting hot now, blood pulsing close to the surface, leaving his arms bloodless as all the fluid was concentrated to his hip area. His cock was still half-hard between his legs, just like it had been since they’d gotten into the cab, and his ass was on fire from the flogging and now the whip. He was surprised there was still enough in his head for him to process everything.

John didn’t spend too much time with the whip. He knew it. And more important Jim knew it, and they’d never get to the good stuff if he didn’t surprise Jim a little more. So he put down the whip, took a few calming breathes and watched Jim squirm in his bonds. With no new welts rising, the other had time to really process the effect of the whip, the pain of the welts, the adrenaline high. It also gave Jim time to realise that there was more to come. There was still the switch and John waited for the moment Jim’s eyes widened and searched for the angle that had him see the table. He watched Jim’s face in the mirror as he picked the switch and stepped close again, running his hand over hot skin.

“Have you been switched before?”, he asked, one hand steadying Jim’s hip while the other carefully rested the wood against the hot skin, letting Jim feel the size of it, the thin line of pressure. It gave him a chance to get a good look at his ass, how the pale wood crossed both his cheeks, separating them into top half and bottom half, before ending in John’s capable hands.

“No, sir”, Jim replied, breathing speeding up in anticipation. He would fly now. John would make him fly and then he’d get fucked and his life was brilliant this moment.

“Well then relax and enjoy”, he said. He kept holding Jim in place. With the switch he really didn’t want to miss and he didn’t want to be off by even a fraction of an inch. So Jim got the heavy pressure of John’s hand on his right hip while the left reached back before accelerating forward, hitting the other’s ass right in the spot the wood had rested in before.

Jim screamed.  
The pain was slick and focused and he strained forward. But John’s hand held him tight and he could see the switch rise again, could see the wood flex as it was accelerated, could see the slight bounce as it hit a quarter of an inch lower.  
He screamed again.  
It was wonderful pain and John was moving steadily, raising welt after welt, moving steadily lower until one hit the crease of his thigh. Jim had to close his eyes as he screamed and shuddered through the pain. But when he opened it again he was face to face with his Dom, whose eyes were shining with pride and who was kissing him and running his hands over his sides and to his hips. Jim arched into the touch and whimpered into the kiss when John took him up on the invitation and palmed heated skin.

“I’m going to fuck you now”, John said against Jim’s lips. It was a statement of fact but also a warning, giving Jim a chance to back out if the idea of more pressure on his ass was too much. Not that John feared so. He knew Jim by now, knew his response and his pain tolerance and he wasn’t surprised when Jim groaned against his lips, eyes closing as he pushed his ass into the touch.

“You want that, Jim? Want me to open you up and fuck you?”, he asked, kissing Jim roughly once again before he stepped back.

Jim was nodding frantically, eyes slipping open a fraction again.  
“Yes, sir. Please”, he said, licking his lips. He was hanging limply in his bonds now, mind hazy and waiting and he followed John with his eyes as the other moved to stand behind him again, digging in his bag to get out lube and a condom.

“Good. Keep watching me”, he ordered as he slicked his fingers. He didn’t give the lube time to heat. Jim’s skin was on fire, so the cold gel would be a welcome distraction. He was moving fast now, in short methodical motions. It wasn’t about foreplay any longer. He had no desire to wind Jim up further. He wanted Jim slick and open and ready to get fucked.

When he was sure that goal was accomplished he opened his pants enough to get his cock out. He almost felt bad for Jim as he rolled the condom down his cock. His pants with zip and button would dig into his sensitive skin, they’d scratch and push deliciously. But John was in no mood to take them off. And with how far along Jim was he wouldn’t mind either. So instead of bothering with undressing further he grabbed Jim’s hips with one hands and used the other to position himself.

Jim shivered and pressed back against John, eyes almost closed as he watched the other’s cock disappear into him. It was surreal, watching and feeling and hearing John moan as he buried himself inside Jim. The dark-haired gasped when the denim was pressed into the welts, but he didn’t fight it. It was just one more sensation now, making him groan and gasp as John started to fuck him.

He wasn’t going slow, didn’t give Jim time to adjust. He just pulled out and pushed back in and listened to Jim moan and scream, arching back into the thrusts. John made sure to rub against Jim’s prostate on every go, winding the other up fast and hard, pleasure so intense it was almost painful warring with the burning of his ass. He could see it in Jim’s face and hear it in his moans. John just kept it up, one hand slipping to Jim’s cock to jerk him off in time to the thrusts, wanting to see Jim come, to fall apart in front of him.

Jim’s eyes closed involuntarily when John started jerking him off and he didn’t manage to open them again as his orgasm rushed through him. He was aware that he was supposed to keep watching, but he couldn’t. All the energy was needed for release, to make milky fluid pulse out and over John’s fingers. He moaned when slick digits were pushed into his mouth. Behind him John was still moving his hips, fucking him roughly and when Jim opened his eyes a bit he saw that John’s face was drawn, eyes glowing and hair plastered to his forehead. He sucked firmly on John’s fingers and clenched his ass and apparently that was enough, because John moaned and his hips stuttered and Jim groaned as he felt the other’s cock pulse inside him, stretching just a little further before releasing again.

John panted and leaned his head against Jim’s back. It took him a moment to regain his breathing and control of his limbs before he could pull out of Jim and step back. He quickly discarded the condom and then walked to stand in front of Jim. The other had a dopey expression on his face and was smiling broadly at John, who just shook his head.

“Think you’re able to stand on your own?”, he asked, carefully running his hands over Jim’s face and neck to check his pulse and ensure everything was fine.

“Not sure, sir. My legs feel like jelly”, Jim replied, leaning forward to get closer to John.

“Okay. We’ll see about getting you to sit then”, he said and knelt down to undo the ties on Jim’s ankles. Then he stretched to untie one wrist, placing it around his neck.

“Try holding your arm there. I just need to release the other tie and then I can hold you up”, John promised, pecking Jim’s cheek. Only when he felt the hand on his back weakly gripping his shirt did he undo the second bond, quickly wrapping his arms around Jim’s waist to keep him upright.

“My hands are tingling”, Jim mumbled. He’d pitched forward and his face as buried against John’s neck, but his arms were both around his neck and his hands were holding onto his shirt.

John nodded and carefully stepped backward, pulling Jim away from the frame.

“That’s okay. We’ll get feeling into it in a moment. Now sit down, Jim”, John ordered, carefully lowering himself along with Jim so he could get the other into a sitting position on top of a dark cushion. It wasn’t ideal, which was proven by Jim’s whimper. His ass clearly wasn’t up to the task of sitting.

“Stay here”, John ordered and quickly fetched a bottle of water. He uncapped it and carefully helped Jim drink it all before getting the other onto his stomach.

Jim sighed contently as he was rolled onto his stomach. It took pressure off his ass and it also meant it was care time. He was proven correct when moments later John settled down next to him and began massaging his arms, getting the blood flowing again. He could feel himself drifting off under the other’s knowledgeable hands and didn’t fight it. John would take care of him and get him back home and in the morning Jim would wake him with a blowjob and a cup of coffee and everything would be brilliant.


End file.
